Ok, so, I’m hooked. I’ve been watching Tiger King. It reminds me of that old D&D Animal Farm Sanctuary on Creasy Springs Road, which I always pass every Sunday on my way to rehearsal for Flyover Country at Steve Watts’s place. The band used to play at D&D’s Restaurant at Catfish Corner, also owned by the same people…and that was a crazy place. Well, low and behold, Joe Exotic graced our fair city in 2012 when he came as a self-proclaimed representative of the American zoological Association (which does not exist) and was interviewed by our very own Emily Spain who is, of course, daughter of Dr. Jim Spain. Check it out: https://www.komu.com/news/usda-threatens-to-shut-down-d-d-farm. Now, why would I bring this to the attention of you geographers, other than to (hopefully) give you a chuckle to start out your week? Refresh yourself on Tobler’s First Law of Geography and I think you’ll understand why!

What’s new @MizzouGeog this week?

• So, for some serious business to start. We know that the postponement of commencement is, well, nothing short of awful. It’s unfair. It sucks. We look forward as well to the end of year celebration with our awards and bar-b-q. We need your help, especially from you graduating seniors: How would you like to celebrate your accomplishments and Mizzou memories? We can do a “virtual” celebration, but we recognize that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. We could also postpone and have an in-person celebration in the summer or fall, but we know that not everyone would be around or available. So, we turn it to you. Would you email me (larsens@missouri.edu) and let me know your thoughts? We want to do something that you would find valuable and meaningful, not something we faculty might think is “cool”—you know we’re just a bunch of middle-age dads, and despite our best intentions, we can make things awkward and uncomfortable! So, we turn it over to you…let me know.
• Now, this idea is virtual, but I personally think it would be terrific (forgetting what I just said about the predilections of middle-age dads!) Alex Ringling suggested a virtual geography quiz game on zoom at the end of the year, maybe on Stop Day, with crowdsourced questions. We would all write questions geographical and see if we can stump each other! We would make sure to have prizes as well. Would you email me if you are interested in participating in, and/or submitting questions for, an end-of-year geography quiz game? If we get enough interest, we will make it happen!
• Here is some good news! Our very own Debbie Cutler was just published in The Dewdrop shorts on isolation. Check it out: https://thedewdrop.org/isolation-shorts/#debbie-cutler. Congratulations, Deb!!!!
• Professor and Chair Emeritus Kit Salter is giving an OnLine PowerPoint-based course for OSHER from April 13-May 4 that he calls Four Conversations on Landscape. The conversations are built around a quartet of “Landscape Verities” that he has used for ages. Now, you are welcome to take the course from Osher (see: https://extensiondata.missouri.edu/Pro/Osher/Docs/OSHERCurrentCatalog.pdf) but he said he would also be happy to give a lecture or two special for us! So, again, would you please email me (larsens@missouri.edu) if you are interested, and I will work with Dr. Salter to set it up!
• The Discord server is up and running (thank you Dr. Bones, I mean Griffin Johnson!) Check it out: https://discord.gg/Husdam5
• Under inspiration from Lead Yote Dr. Mark Palmer, the Urban Coyotes are working on recording a tune called “Coyote Den Blues.” Each one of us is working to record a track separately, then Dr. Palmer is going to mix ‘em all down. Stay tuned (pun intended) next week for a sneak listen!
• I will be holding Drop In Office Hours on zoom Mondays and Wednesdays at 3pm. If you’d like to drop in any time between 3 and 4pm, please do so! https://mizzou.zoom.us/j/3270027736

I think that’s it! I hope you all are hanging in there. For a little inspiration, and give you an “earworm” (aka “Involuntary Musical Imagery”) for the rest of the day, here’s some advice from venerable 80s Bard Steve Parry: Don’t Stop Believin’!!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8craCGpgs

Be well, do well, live well—

Soren